The Hawaii Forest Industry Association is presenting the "Growing Koa in Hawaii Nei" Symposium on Hawaii island on Nov. 16 and 17, featuring keynote spaker Dr. Charles Michler.
Michler is director of both the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC) at Purdue University and the Tropical HTIRC in Hawaii. He will speak on "The Right Koa for You."
Presentations are scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16 in the Ohia Room at Kilauea Military Camp at Volanoes National Park followed by a pau hana reception. A field trip to Keauhou Ranch in Ka‘u is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17. Participants will visit a 1978 koa stand (an example of a thinning trial) and several younger koa plantations.
The deadline to register is tomorrow (Oct. 31). Visit hawaiiforest.org to register.
Leading experts in koa research and management will speak on a broad range of topics including:
>> Who's growing koa and how many acres are involved.
>> Low elevation research progress; silvicultural practices to improve form and branching
>> Plantation establishment techniques
>> The economic analysis of growing koa
>> A panel on harvesting and marketing koa
>> Recent koa research
>> Improvement efforts to date and the Hawaii Tree Improvement Research Center
Click here to see the full symposium agenda.